Technology Blog

A BIG company, a blind man, and a promise of hope, betrayed.

The story begins with a recommendation I made to a visually impaired friend; that he look into the iPhone, as it had some technology that could get him connected, and it ends with Apple kicking a blind guy.

On November 3, 2011, the Apple flagship store on 14th Street in Manhattan, held a workshop called "Accessibility out of the Box." The workshop promised "... innovative solutions for people with disabilities, allowing them to access [Apple Products]...[and to] learn about accessibility features such as screen magnification, VoiceOver, Mouse Keys, and more ..."

That same afternoon, I received a call from from the 3rd floor workshop room of that store, and listened to my hopeful friend describe the scene. Phil tells me, "this place is amazing, I've never seen a retail outlet like this, there are hundreds of people here, and the space is amazing. I'm so psyched to get an iPhone and be able to use it." I was psyched for him.

He told me that there were disabled people lined up outside the store for hours waiting to get into the workshop. He estimated that the attendees were about 30% hearing impaired, 30% percent mobile impaired, and 30% visually impaired. I asked him to call me after the presentation," and wished him good luck.

I could never have guessed the content of the next phone call that I received from him. Phil says, noticeably upset, "...you're not going to believe what just happened... I cant believe it...